Today we had another white water SUP (Stand Up Paddle) session planned to take advantage of some recent rain. The wet season still hasn’t really kicked in around Cairns, and with none of the rivers running at full flow, a small group of us meet early at 7am to rush up to the Mossman River for a paddle session before the waters drop below comfortable (inflatable SUP boards don’t like it when the levels are too low).

The Mossman River is approximately an hour and a quarter drive north of Cairns, nestled in amongst the Mossman Gorge and is a popular location for visitors and locals to visit . It’s a great spot for a refreshing dip to cool off as the water in the Mossman River is always chilling. The area is a World Heritage listed site for all the natural features that surround it, especially the Daintree Rainforest.

Today’s drive along the coastline was epic as it was so calm at sea – pretty much a glass out! And despite a gloomy "cloudy with showers" forecast, the blue skies are upon us. As we arrive to Mossman town, it’s bustling with activity as today is market day under the rain trees next to the beautiful old church. We have to strategically plan this adventure with a car shuffle – so we leave one car parked at the end point near the bridge over the river, loaded with our towels, snacks, water and anything we may want/need after our paddle. The second car is loaded with all the boards, a kayak, us and of course my trusty tube. We have a nice mix of SUPers, a safety Kayaker and me with a tube today ☺ I have acquired the suitable title of “Tube Girl” as I come on all river adventures armed with an old tyre tube inflated to the max (Thank you Federal Tyres Cairns) . All re-packed and ready to go, we make our way towards the actual Mossman Gorge community, 1.5km from the township of Mossman.

Mossman Gorge past & present
Prior to European contact or settlement, the Eastern Yalanji people had occupied the area for thousands of years and they are now recognised as the Traditional Owners for this area. In the 1870’s, European settlement of the Mossman Gorge area started with the discovery of gold. The Traditional Owners fought back by killing some of these “invaders” and in 1897, the Queensland Government created the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897. This so called Protection Act granted the power to remove Aboriginals from one district to another – hence the stolen generation began and Aboriginal people were forced to leave their homes. There were 113 documented removals from the Mossman Gorge area and they were forced to settle in Yarrabah, Mona Mona, Palm Island, Woorabinda, Cherbourg and Cape Bedford. In 1916, an Aboriginal Reserve was created at Mossman Gorge so those who had not been removed by the government gradually moved to this Mossman Gorge Mission .

Today, to access the Mossman Gorge area, you must pass through the Mossman Gorge Visitor Centre, which was created in 2012. The Centre is an Indigenous eco tourism development so the Mossman Gorge community could have some say into how the visitors to the area were accessing it, and to do it on their terms. From the centre, you park your car and pay for a short shuttle ride through the community to get to the heart of the Mossman Gorge itself and access the Mossman River.

Safety First!
Today it was decided that it would be compulsory safety gear required – helmet and lifejackets! Although the river is not at full flow, the risks of being in white water should not be underestimated. And actually, within the first 5 minutes of us starting on the river, I am thankful I have a helmet on my head. From where we launched into the icy waters, myself and another SUPer tackle a small section of rapids. As I launch from above the rapid zone, I immediately notice the flow of water is much faster than previous white water adventures and I find it difficult to manoeuvre myself exactly where I want to be and I am at the mercy of the water . As I bump over the rocks and into a hole of water, I’m pushed out of my tube and down…hard…and I my head actually makes contact with a rock below the white wash of water. Thank goodness I had the helmet on! I eventually fight my way to the surface and latch on to my trusty tube and regain my composure in the calm waters post-rapids. This was a great wake up call that you must always keep your wits about you and not be complacent with these “extreme” activities. And as much fun as tubing is on a river, you must be aware of the dangers of fast flowing water and understand your limits and when it is not appropriate to throw yourself in. Always let someone more experienced than you go first. And if you’re like me, and in a less manoeuvrable tube (or not as experienced), it’s good to have someone behind you in case you need assistance.

The paddle on the Mossman River is just GORGEOUS!! From an open river littered with rounded boulders and lined with luscious rainforest trees, the river winds it’s way down and narrows at points where the trees close in and create almost a tunnel around you . Then as you break out of the tree canopy and the blue skies open above, butterflies flit around you, birds fly overhead and call from their hiding spots amongst the trees, you are reminded of how lucky you are to be surrounded by this beautiful nature.

No matter how well planned you are at choosing the safest line, today, with the fast flowing water, more than I’ve experienced in the tube so far this season, it was not easy holding that line. More often than not, I was swept to a completely different part of the river I was intending to end up in. And when this happens, you just have to deal with whatever situation occurs as best you can. A lot of times I couldn’t stop when the others stopped, I’d reach out for the closest tree roots – being very cautious NOT to grab a barb covered wait-a-while vine (!!) – but sometimes I couldn’t get a good enough hold. This meant that sometimes I accidently ran a rapid zone ahead of everyone else! I have to admit, this was a little nerve racking as today was my first time to run this section of the Mossman River so I was not familiar with what might be around the bend and didn’t always know the best line – not that I had any control over this! But at the end of the day, I was safe. And I had fun.

Revelations.
After another section of white wash and now in calm water, I lay my head back and admire the trees above me and the vast blue skies . I look around at the scenery and smile at my fellow SUPers as they paddle and regain their balance after a challenging rapid section. I’m lucky because I have the luxury to look around me and not have to concentrate on standing or my balance – so my perspective is a little more relaxed than what they are experiencing, even though we are running the same section of river. And after surviving another section of unexpected turns in the river, not what I had planned entering the rapids, I had to make some fast decisions and change course at the last minute, react to the situation around me – sometimes going the same way as the others and sometimes a complete different way, but I came out at the same spot as everyone else downstream, be it a little different experience, but alive and well. And that is exactly what life is like – we all go through it a little differently, but as long as we are safe in the end, that’s all that really matters. Running the river is a great analogy of LIFE. We are all essentially running the same river, but given our circumstances (fast water flow today) and choices (I chose a tube instead of a iSUP), our experience is going to be slightly different to each others (tube compared to the kayaker and the SUPers). What we see, what we feel, what we remember......So, just hold on for the ride and learn to survive.

Shout out!
To the fellas at Federation Tyres Cairns (207 Scott Street Cairns, Ph: 40415192) who sponsor my Tube Girl Adventures by providing me with my tube! Really nice friendly patient people ☺